Kite construction



Aug. 21, 1951 s. D. souLb ETAL KITE CONSTRUCTION Filed Jan. 25, 1950FIG. I.

INVENTORS SHELDOIVD- GQULD ALBERT 60040 BY ATTbRNEY- Patented Aug. 21195i FICE CONSTRUCTiON Sheldon D. Gould and Albert Gould,

Brooklyn, N. Y-

Application January 25, 1950, Serial No. 140,448

2 Claims;

7 This invention relates ta kites and to kite construction.

An object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved form ofkite and kite construe tion by means of which ii-ii-pr'oved strength,and

qualities are achieved;

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved termor kite construction in which the framework includes fiexime mainframe-elements the ends of which are intercc'iii netted by tensilemembers, and in which the frame thus defined is overlaid by means of afilmy sheet material light in Weight, substantially impermeable to air,and of such nature that it is easily flexed and subjected to tensilestrains across the same in any direction, Without being ruptured undersuch influences.

A further object of the invention is to prevlde a novel andimprovedform-of kite construction in which the framework and tensilecables defining, the outline area of the kite, are covered with a filmof sheet material which is of relatively small thickness on the order ofless than about 0.003 inch'thick, and which is of such a nature thatmargina1 areas thereof, when folded over and brought into contact withcontiguous portions thereof, may be caused t6 adhere together by meansof theapplication ofheat thereto, or sealed electronically.-

Still another object of the invention is to provide a novel and improvedkite construction whereby a kite is formed, which is simple in design,and inexpensive to manufacture,-. while retaining lightness ofweight andruggedness in use.

other objects and advantages of the intention will become apparent fromthe following description of a preferred embodiment thereof asillustrated in the accompanying drawings, and in which,

Fig. 1 is a front face view of our novel and improved kite as assembled.

Fig. 2 is a rear face view of the kite shown in Fig. 1, as assembled.

Fig. 3 is an end view of the kite.

Kites as heretofore manufactured for use by the general public and byother, have been commonly characterized by a considerable degree ofinherent fragility, so that, when subjected to even rather mildstresses, in shipping, in storage, and during assembly, they have beeneasily damaged. Such kite must usually be made at low cost, to keep thesellin price down, and yet must be sufficiently sturdy to withstand therigors imposed upon them in use, and also prior 2 thereto. The presentapplication discloses means for avoiding these and other well knowndisadvantages of other kite constructions.

In order to understand clearly the nature of the invention and the bestmeans for carrying it out, reference may now be had to the drawings, inwhich like numerals denote similar parts throughout the several views.

As shown, our improved kite I0 includes a frame formed of main frameelements such as the longitudinal rib member I6; which extends from topto the bottom of the kite, and the transverse rib member II whichoverlies the inter mediate portion of the longitudinal rib member l6,and extends across the same at substantially a right angle to delineatethe breadth of the kite; These rib members may be made of any suitablelight weight material, such as light wood strips, light metal rods,light tubing, plastic materials, or other suitable materials havingsufiioient inherent strength for the purpose intended. A clamp member '8may be secured around both rib members 5 and H at the loca-' tion wherethey cross over each other, as seen best in Fig. 2, to hold themtogether in the desired relationship. The clamp member 8 may be made ofmetal or other suitable material, of sufficient strength to hold themembers together.

Notches are cut or formed in the outer ends 9' and 1 of the respectivekite frame ribs l6 and I1, to receive the peripheral strut cords 25,which may be in one continuous length, and which interconnectthe outerends 9 of the trans-- verse bow rib l1 with the top and bottom ends- Iof the longitudinal main rib l 6. The strut cords 25 are'maintainedunder sufiicient tension so as to not only delineate the quadrilateraloutline of the kite frame, but also to aid in maintaining the ribs l6and I! in their relative angular position, for uniform flight.

A wing fabric II is then placed over the entire kite frame including theribs l6 and I! and the peripheral strut cord 25, being folded inwardlyas at its marginal portions l8, I9, 20 and 2| shown best in Fig. 2, toform elongated passageways for the strut cords 25 which are therebycontained in the passageways. We prefer to use for this wing fabric II,a plastic sheeting or film such as the type commonly known as Vinyliteplastic, and which is capable of having overlying portions thereofjoined or seamed together by the mere application of heat thereto whilein mutual contact. Such material may be selected so that it issuihciently light in weight, yet suitably strong for the purposeintended, and has 'suiiicient elasticity so as to yield where necessaryto take up the stresses and strains incident to a flying kite.

Having folded over the marginal areas [8, I9, 20, and 2| uponthemselves, we then apply heat thereto to weld the resultant seam,allowing a small portion to remain unheated through which the cords 25pass. These heated marginal areas remain permanently sealed asdescribed, once the heat has been removed, and are quite strong, beingcapable of taking up a great many stresses to which the kite issubjected. At the same time, the plastic vinylite sheeting fabric H hassufficient flexibility and resilience for the purpose.

At those portions where the plastic sheeting fabric would overlie thecorners 1 and 9 of the main frame ribs 16 and II, we cut it away as atl2, l3, l4 and i5, thecut out portions thus permitting the ends of eachof the strut cord passageways to remain open. We may also providereinforcing tabs 30 of the same plastic vinylite sheeting material asthe main fabric H, which are placed against the under surface Ila of themain fabric H, as seen in Fig. 2, and sealed thereto by means ofapplication of heat. These reinforcements are disposed above and belowthe intersection 8 of the main ribs.

Holes 32 are punched through the reinforcing tabs 30 and the underlyingmain fabric H, to receive the upper and lower ends 36 and 38 of thebridle cord 34, which extend through the holes 32 and encircle theunderlying portions of the main longitudinal rib I6 as seen in Fig. 2,being secured thereto by knotting or otherwise. A bowstring, not shown,may be employed to additionally interconnect the ends 9 of the lateralrib I1, and it may be placed under tension suificient to bow the rib l1,and the intermediate portion of the kite fabric ll overlying the same.We have found it preferable to use plastic Vinylite fabric sheeting Hhaving a thickness of less than about 0.003 inch, 2. thickness such forexample as 0.002 inch being entirely suitable. This makes it light inweight, yet strong enough to take the stresses of heavy winds, andsudden gusts, and its inherent resilience enables it to stretch asneeded. The use of heat sealing dispenses with the added weight ofadhesives or pastes, and the weight of stitching cord when such might beused in enclosing the cords 25.

The kite string is of course tied to an intermediate portion of thebridle cord 34, as is well known, when flying the kite. When flying, themain fabric H can expand without tearing.

Although we have described our invention in specific terms, it will beunderstood that various changes may be made in size, shape, materials 4and arrangement without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention as claimed.

We claim:

1. Kite construction comprising a plurality of main frame ribs disposedin mutually intersecting arrangement, strut cord means interconnectingthe outer ends of all said main frame ribs and thus delineating the mainframe'outline, a main fabric formed of stretchable plastic vinylitesheeting having a thickness of less than about 0.003 inch, said mainfabric material overlying said main frame ribs and extending across saidstrut cord means interconnecting said rib ends, marginal areas of saidmain fabric being folded back upon themselves to form strut cordpassageways receiving said strut cords, said folded back portions ofsaid fabric being fused to said main fabric area to maintain said strutcord captive in said passageways, the corners of said main fabric be ngcut away at the corners of said main frame, allowing the ends of saidstrut cord passageways to remain open near such corners, bridle cordreceiving openings in said main fabric sheeting material above and belowthe intersection of said main frame ribs, reinforcing memberssurrounding said openings.

2. The kite construction according to claim 1, wherein said main fabrichas a uniform thickness of about 0.002 inch, and in which the entireconstruction is free from use of adhesive materials or pastes.

' SHELDON D. GOULD.

ALBERT GOULD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,180,224 Ayling Apr. 18, 19161,452,956 Cash Apr. 24, 1923 1,465,040 Holtvoigt Aug. '14, 19231,912,808 Watson June 6, 1933 2,328,646 Izard Sept. 7, 1943 OTHERREFERENCES

